Last Train to Auschwitz - Virtual book talk with Sarah Federman

Please join the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies on February 8, 2022 at 12:00PM EST / 7:00PM ILT, for a virtual book talk with Sarah Federman on her new book, Last Train to Auschwitz: The French National Railways and the Journey to Accountability.

In the immediate decades after World War II, the French National Railways (SNCF) was celebrated for its acts of wartime heroism. However, recent debates and litigation have revealed the ways the SNCF worked as an accomplice to the Third Reich and was actively complicit in the deportation of 75,000 Jews and other civilians to death camps. Sarah Federman delves into the interconnected roles—perpetrator, victim, and hero—the company took on during the harrowing years of the Holocaust.

Grounded in history and case law, Last Train to Auschwitz traces the SNCF’s journey toward accountability in France and the United States, culminating in a multimillion-dollar settlement paid by the French government on behalf of the railways. The poignant and informative testimonies of survivors illuminate the long-term effects of the railroad’s impact on individuals, leading the company to make overdue amends. In a time when corporations are increasingly granted the same rights as people, Federman’s detailed account demonstrates the obligations businesses have to atone for aiding and abetting governments in committing atrocities. This volume highlights the necessity of corporate integrity and will be essential reading for those called to engage in the difficult work of responding to past harms. Please visit this link for more information.

About the author

Sarah Federman is Fulbright Peace and Conflict Specialist and an Assistant Professor within the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Baltimore. After a decade-long international career in media, Federman turned her attention to the role of messaging in mass atrocity and questions of corporate historical accountability.

Recent article:
How Companies Can Address Their Historical Transgressions (Harvard Business Review)